Insulator for electric wires



W. ROBERTS. INSULATOR FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

No. 591,104. Patented Oct. 5, 1897.

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. UNITED STATES I WILLIS ROBERTS, OF

MOBILE, ALABAMA.

INSULATOR FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,104, dated October 5, 1897.

Application filed November 3, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIs ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Insulators for Electric Wires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to insulators for telegraph, telephone, and electric wires generally and to attaching or supporting devices for such wires and for wires employed for various purposes.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an insulator and wire-attaching device that can be easily and quickly applied to a suitable support and which will be securely fastened in posit-ion on said support by engagement with the wire, at the same time retaining the wire itself in position without the usual necessity of separate ties.

The invention consists in an insulator and wire supporting or attaching device constructed with a transverse opening that communicates with a slot to admit the wire and a groove to receive the wire after it has. been passed through the said slot and transverse opening, and in which groove the wire will become tied with the insulator, so as to prevent the insulator from unscrewing from the cross-arm on a pole or other support.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is aperspective of one form of my improved insulator especially adapted for attachment'to the top of a crossarm on a telegraph or telephone pole or other such support. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the attaching end of the insulator. Fig. at is a plan of the wire-receiving end of the insulator. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the insulator, showing the groove for receiving the wire. Fig. 6 is a cross-section showing a curved form of wire-receiving groove to be formed in insulators that are to be so located as to facilitate the turning of a corner by a wire. Fig. 7 is a perspective of a modified form of insulator adapted for attachment to the under side of a pole, cross-arm, or to a ceiling, or to the under side of an awning. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the same.

The insulator designated by the reference numeral 1 may be made in any'desired shape Serial No. 610,969. (No model.)

and dimensions and of any suitable non-conducting material that is usually employed for such purposes.

In the attaching end of the insulator is preferably formed a circular recess 2 for engagement with the usual wooden screw or peg that is employed to fasten an insulator in place. The insulator may be screwed down onto or pressed onto this screw or peg in such manner as to be thereby firmly held in place.

The opposite end of the insulator, as in Figs. 1 to 6, is provided with a transverse opening 3, which connects on one side with a diagonal slot 4, through which the electric wire is to be introduced, and onthe opposite side with a diagonal groove 5, that receives and holds said wire.

In connecting a wire with this form of insulator the insulator is first turned down upon its peg nearly to the full extent required and the slot 4: is brought parallel with the wire, so that by'bringing' the wire above the same it will fall readily into the opening 3, and then by further turning the insulator a sufficient distance the wire will drop into the groove 5 and be there securely held without any necessity for tying it. -The usual tie-wires are thus dispensed with, and yet the wire cannot possibly become displaced or disconnected from the insulator, for if the wire should by any means be lifted out of the groove-5 it cannot pass through the slot 4, but must fall back into the groove. At the same time the engagement of the wire in the said groove 5 will serve as a tie to prevent turning of the insulator and consequent unscrewing from its support.

There is a large saving of time, labor, and expense in the use of this insulator. In putting up electric wires and attaching them by means of this insulator a smaller number of linemen is required, no tie-wires are needed, and the wires can be quickly and easily connected at all required points. The wire is held in the groove 5 by its own weight, and if by any accident it should get out of the groove it will always tend to fall back intoit again.

I prefer to have the slot l and groove 5 cross each other at an angle of about fortyfive degrees, more or less. It will be readily seen that as the said slot and groove are not parallel the insulator must be partly turned after the wire has entered the slot, so as to permit it to fall into the retaininggroove. So, too, in disconnecting the wire it may be lifted out of the groove and the insulator be then partly turned so as to permit the ready passage of the wire out through the slot. For turning corners it is desirable to provide a curved groove 5, that will not exert any strain on the wire. As the electric wire is not tied to the insulator, it is obvious that any strain on the wire between two points, as by the falling of a weight thereon, will be equally distributed throughout the line and will not bring any strain upon the insulator.

For attachment to walls, ceilings, and the under side of awnings or any similar situations the insulator will be made shallow and the positions of the slot 4 and groove 5 will be reversed, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, their functions, however, being the same, as already described.

The use of this insulator will make much easier the quick construction of lines for telephone, telegraph, and electric purposes generally, and much less labor and expense will be involved. As no tying of the wire is necessary, it is obvious that in this alone much time will be saved, as well as the expense of the usual tie-wires, while the engagement of the line-wire in the groove 5 will secure both the said wire and the insulator in proper position without liability to displacement.

the attachment and insulation of' electric wires.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. Theherein-described wire insulating and attaching device provided with a transverse opening or passage, a slot to admit the wire and a groove to receive the wire passed into said slot and opening, the said slot and groove being arranged at an angle to each other and in communication with the said transverse opening and the said groove being adapted to engage and retain the wire in such manner as to prevent turning or unscrewing ol the device, substantially as specified.

2. A wire attaching and insulating device provided with a transverse opening, a slot to admit the wire into said opening and a groove intersecting said slot and adapted to receive and retain the wire, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIS l-tOlll' llt'lH.

Witnesses:

CHAS. A. lllOHlt, U. E. Fnazmn. 

